Director, HR Business Partner

Hybrid / Toronto, ON
Human Resources

Our Client

Our client is a leading independent and globally diverse asset management firm with approximately $75 billion in assets under management and a long-standing track record of investment excellence across both public and private markets. Headquartered in Toronto, the firm brings a collective investment expertise, driven by its fundamental, quantitative and private investing capabilities.  Extending globally to a wide range of clients, from financial advisors and their clients to high-net worth and institutional investors including pension plans.

Position Overview

As the organization continues to evolve and grow, the firm is seeking a business-minded and collaborative Director, Human Resources Business Partner to serve as a trusted advisor to senior leaders across its Retail and Institutional Distribution businesses in Canada and the U.S., as well as Product and Marketing. Reporting to the Vice President, People & Culture, the Director partners with leaders to translate business priorities into practical people solutions that strengthen organizational capability, develop leadership, and build high-performing teams.

This role also offers the unique opportunity to play a key role in the transformation of the firm’s Distribution businesses over the next three to five years. Partnering closely with business leaders, the Director will shape the talent agenda to support growth through new products, market diversification, and evolving business models, ensuring the organization has the talent and leadership required to execute its long-term business strategy.

The Director will also contribute to the ongoing evolution of the People & Culture function as the organization continues to reimagine the employee experience. The Director will help implement innovative people programs, leverage AI-enabled capabilities and solutions, and create meaningful learning and development opportunities. The role will also support the development of the organization’s leadership pipeline through talent, performance, and succession initiatives.

This is an exceptional opportunity for an HR leader who is energized by transformation, enjoys partnering with senior executives, and wants to influence both business and people outcomes in a meaningful way.

Role Responsibilities

Business Partnering

  • Build trusted partnerships with business leaders, gaining a deep understanding of business strategy, financial objectives, market dynamics, and workforce needs.
  • Translate business priorities into effective people strategies, providing commercially sound advice that balances business performance, organizational capability, employee experience, culture, and risk.
  • Collaborate with other HR leaders to implement enterprise People & Culture strategies while providing insight into emerging business priorities, organizational risks and workforce trends.
  • Engage closely with centres of excellence including Talent Acquisition, Learning & Leadership Development, Total Rewards, HR Operations and HRIS & People Analytics to deliver business objectives.
  • Supporting leaders in driving sales and marketing strategies that deliver business results while helping to strengthen and evolve our employer brand.
  • This is an exceptional opportunity for an HR leader who is energized by transformation, enjoys partnering with senior executives, and wants to influence both business and people outcomes in a meaningful way.

Leadership Development & Talent Management

  • Partner with leaders to identify, develop and retain high-performing talent by providing coaching on career development, internal mobility, succession planning and leadership effectiveness.
  • Enable the delivery of talent and leadership initiatives by contributing to talent reviews, identifying future capability needs.
  • Support with leaders to strengthen organizational culture, employee engagement, and high-performing teams by reinforcing values, leadership expectations, and actionable engagement strategies.

Performance Management

  • Coach and enable leaders to effectively manage performance by setting clear expectations, establishing objectives, and facilitating meaningful performance conversations.

Workforce Planning & Talent Acquisition

  • Partner with leaders to understand current and future workforce requirements, support organizational design discussions, and align workforce strategies with evolving business needs.
  • Collaborate with Talent Acquisition and leaders to develop hiring strategies that attract high-calibre talent and build organizational capabilities.

Employee Relations & Leadership Coaching

  • Coach leaders on employee relations matters, providing practical guidance on complex people issues while ensuring alignment with policies, legislation, and organizational values.

Organizational Effectiveness & Change Management

  • Work with leaders to support organizational design, change initiatives, and workforce improvements that enhance effectiveness, productivity, employee engagement, and business performance.
  • Partner with business leaders to identify and leverage AI capabilities to enhance organizational effectiveness, strengthen workforce capability, improve productivity, and drive business performance.

Desired Qualifications

  • Minimum of eight (8) years progressive Human Resources Business Partner experience supporting with relevant business units within financial services, wealth management, banking, insurance. Experience with distribution channels and their teams is strongly preferred.
  • University degree in Human Resources, Business Administration or a related discipline. CHRL designation or equivalent professional designation is preferred.
  • Proven success leading talent management, organizational effectiveness, leadership development and performance management initiatives and demonstrated experience partnering with executive and senior leadership teams.
  • Successful track record operating in fast-paced and performance-oriented environments.
  • Strong business and commercial acumen with the ability to align people strategies to organizational objectives.
  • Excellent influencing, relationship-building, and stakeholder management skills.
  • Exceptional communication, coaching, and consulting capabilities.
  • Highly organized with a strong operational mindset. A demonstrated ability to design and implement effective, scalable processes, and a proven track record of identifying opportunities to leverage technology and implement process improvements.
  • A collaborative, values-based leader with a style that fosters engagement and accountability and is committed to continuous learning.

We appreciate your interest in this role.

In sharing your resume, you place your trust in us to treat you with integrity and respect and act in your best interests. All resumes will be held in the strictest of confidence.

Those who most closely meet our client’s requirements will be contacted for an interview.

Please pass this opportunity forward. We welcome all referrals should someone in your network benefit from this opportunity.

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Sarah brings over 10 years of experience in executive search and human capital consulting, specializing in real estate, financial services, and professional services. Before joining Thorek/Scott Partners as Director, she held senior roles at global and boutique executive search firms, successfully leading searches across North America at the senior and executive levels. She is known for her collaborative, candidate-focused approach and for providing creative, thoughtful solutions that ensure the best fit for her clients’ needs.

Sarah holds a Bachelor’s degree from York University in Classical Studies. She enjoys reading, cooking, tackling cryptic crosswords, and watching Formula 1 racing.

Katie Watt

Research and Operations Specialist

Katie enjoys being part of the Research and Operations division at Thorek/Scott and Partners. Katie utilizes her skills in research, project and data management to support the recruiting efforts of the Thorek/Scott and Partners team. She enjoys working in the positive team atmosphere that Thorek/Scott and Partners offers.

After completing her Master’s in Geography at the University of Toronto, Katie worked in consulting in the environmental non-profit sector where she conducted policy analysis and delivered workshops on sustainable development. Katie continues to pursue her passions of environmental protection by volunteering with local environmental non-profit organizations.

Lisa is thrilled to be a part of the team at Thorek/Scott and Partners. Lisa’s deep background in financial services, relationship building, and customer service coupled with her background in operations and support has been instrumental to the firm’s Research and Operations division. Prior to joining Thorek/Scott and Partners, Lisa worked for over 10 years in a large Canadian Bank in front facing, client operational roles. Having worked for large organizations in the past, she is delighted to be part of a close-knit group and enjoys the upbeat office and friendly environment at Thorek/Scott and Partners.

In her free time, Lisa enjoys reading, crafting and spending time with family and friends.

Derek Young is a former finance professional turned recruitment consultant. He connects top-tier talent with prestigious organizations seeking exceptional leaders. His expertise lies in the recruitment of high-caliber risk and compliance professionals for investment management, real estate, and financial services firms across North America.

Derek joined Thorek/Scott and Partners after a successful tenure with one of the largest globally recognized recruitment firms, where he specialized in consulting legal and compliance professionals across financial & professional services. He is passionate about helping people fulfil their long-term career aspirations. Derek’s personable approach and knowledge of the financial landscape allows him to develop strong relationships with both candidates and clients.

After completing his B.Com from the University of Toronto’s Finance program, Derek began his career as a financial advisor working for two of Canada’s largest wealth managers. These roles taught him the importance of listening to his clients and always putting their goals first. Derek has lived and traveled in Ireland, Europe, Asia and Africa. He enjoys playing and watching a variety of sports, and spending time with friends and family.

Lisa is thrilled to join the Thorek/Scott and Partners team and brings 30 years of experience in large public sector organizations. She has held multiple executive leadership positions in the education sector and as CEO was responsible for overseeing all aspects of the organization including Human Resources, Operations, Information Technology, Finance, Capital, and Leadership.

Lisa brings her insight and experience to executive recruitment. She is a highly motivated and goal-oriented professional dedicated to finding high quality talent.

Lisa has worked with multiple stakeholders within the community and at the Provincial level. She has trained senior executives on Strategic Planning and Implementation in Canada and the United States. She has taught Masters’ level courses and College programs. She has authored documents on Strategic Planning, Poverty, Succession Planning and Leadership Development.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and a Master’s degree in Leadership/Administration. Lisa completed the Executive Leadership programs at Rotman School of Management and the Richard Ivey School of Business as well as earning multiple certificates at the Queens Executive Education Program.

Lisa belongs to several professional organizations including the Professional Women’s Network, Equal Voice and Elevate. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family, travelling, and giving back to her community.

Lauren is a senior executive search consultant with 20 years of experience advising the Canadian recruitment market. Known for her sharp insight and empathetic approach, she sees herself as a passionate advocate for her clients and candidates. Throughout her career, Lauren has advised numerous organizations on shaping their strategic vision and has played a leading role in executing on those initiatives.

Active in multiple sectors including Real Estate, Investments and Financial Services, Lauren and her team are proud to deliver great leaders and build extraordinary teams. She has spoken on recruitment and search issues to a wide range of audiences.

Sari Friedman is delighted to be back at Thorek/Scott and Partners. With over 25 years of real estate and finance experience and a passion for people, transitioning into the recruitment industry was a natural fit for Sari. 

She brings multiple experiences and synergetic attributes to her role at Thorek/Scott. Having worked as an equity research associate covering real estate and REITs, Sari has a strong understanding of the real estate industry. She holds a real estate license, has actively traded real estate and is a personal investor. Sari’s technical insight combined with her outstanding business acumen, strong negotiation and research skills adds tremendous value to clients and candidates. 

Sari is well known for her caring and friendly demeanour. She is passionate about helping people with an emphasis on providing an individualized human experience. She will often go above and beyond when coaching her candidates and clients throughout the recruitment process. Sari takes the time to understand the needs of her clients and candidates and creates long lasting relationships. 

Sari graduated from University of Western Ontario majoring in Economics and earned her MBA from the University of Toronto Rotman Management Program. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, cooking, travelling and camping.

Steven is a CPA who graduated with an honours bachelors degree in business from McMaster University & from Cornell University with an Executive MBA. Before joining Thorek/Scott he spent his career in industry, building large support service teams and also taking an active role in the overall corporate recruitment functions as a VP/CFO. He prides himself as a recruiter who is transparent, a great communicator and gives honest feedback.

Steven is passionate about travelling, having visited over 130 countries, and about his Toronto Maple Leafs.

Faye Thorek is an accomplished executive search consultant with over 40 years of experience in the Canadian recruitment market. Known for her keen insight and compassionate dedication to her work, Faye envisions herself as an advocate for those with whom she conducts business. Over the years, Faye has consulted numerous companies on how to best craft their strategic vision and then taken the lead on executing that mandate. She has spoken on recruitment and search issues to a wide range of audiences.

Outside of the office, Faye is also a committed investor in people. She volunteers with Out of the Cold, Kids.now, and Bereaved Families of Ontario (BFO). She has sat on the Professional Development Steering Committee of the HRPAO. She is a former member of the Board at BFO and the North York Harvest Food Bank.

Having founded Thorek/Scott and Partners over four decades ago, Michael Thorek has been shepherding its growth ever since. Together with his wife, Michael is dedicated to building a business with humanity, innovation, and excellence at its core. A specialist in the recruitment of talent for the Financial Services Industry, Michael has currently turned his interest towards the field of Risk Management, Capital Markets and Database Marketing Analytics. A jack of many trades, Michael is also a father, inventor, scholar and scribe, who possess a keen interest in comparative religions.